


Begin Again

by combefemme



Series: Something Like Family [2]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-12-05
Updated: 2012-12-05
Packaged: 2017-11-20 09:11:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,342
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/583676
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/combefemme/pseuds/combefemme
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Isaac needs tutoring. Lydia needs a distraction. It's the perfect arrangement.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Begin Again

**Author's Note:**

> The title of this story comes from Taylor Swift's Begin Again. Though the story was in no way based on the song. I just thought the title fit.
> 
> This fic takes place before Kitchen Counter Confessionals.

Lydia ducks into the library and makes a beeline for the tables in the back corner. They're always deserted. She can finally get some time alone.

Things are worse than they had been after she'd gotten out of the hospital. Back then people had just avoided her and given her odd looks. Now they want to talk; to ask her questions about how she's doing and what happened.

She has to lie now, too. It's not like before when she could just say 'I don't know, it was an animal'. She knows the truth now, and she can't say anything. And the truth is so much worse than any of these people can imagine.

She just can't take it anymore. The stares. The whispers. The evasion. The condolences. 

Those might be the worst. People come up to her, tell her how sorry they are, how terrible it is, and she just has to nod and look sad and pretend like she's not seething.

Jackson didn't die. He left.

Lydia saved his life, and he left her.

She isn't sad. She's pissed. She's done. But she can't show that. For all anyone else knows, Jackson died that night on the lacrosse field and only a handful of people know different. A handful of people who have sworn each other to secrecy for their own sakes.

So, when she rounds the last bookshelf to find that her usually deserted tables are not, in fact, deserted, she's about ready to let her frustration boil over. When she realizes that the boy glaring at his text book is Isaac Lahey, however, she suddenly feels a lot better.

Sashaying her way over, she drops down into the seat across from him and sighs.

He looks up at her and raises his eyebrows. “Hey,” he says, unsure. “How's it going?”

“I hate this,” she tells him.

Isaac huffs a laugh and turns back to his book. “Yeah, welcome to the club.”

“Oh, no,” Lydia replies. “Don't compare yourself to me. I didn't choose this. I didn't want this.”

Isaac glares up at her. “And you think I did?” he asks, angry. “You think I wanted my dad to get killed? You think I wanted to get arrested or be facing foster care? This was supposed to make my life better but everything's only gotten worse. Nothing has gotten better for me. I can't even pass chem, for chissakes!”

Lydia feels her jaw drop in shock. People don't talk to her that way. Thankfully Isaac has gone back to his book and doesn't see her momentary lapse in demeanour. 

She should leave, she thinks. This kid obviously has more issues than she realized. She should get up, walk away, and forget about it.

Instead she says, “I can help you with your chem.”

XxXx

They fall into a routine after that. It's simple. It's nice.

Everyday after school Lydia waits on the bleachers, drawing up a lesson plan, while Isaac has lacrosse practice. They walk back to the apartment Isaac shares with Derek Hale together, study for a few hours, and then Lydia goes home.

Sometimes Derek picks them up from the school, but most days he's working.

“He works?” Lydia asks the first time Isaac tells her this.

Isaac nods. “Yep. He doesn't need to. I mean, he's got the money. But I think he figured it would look better.”

“Look better for what?” Lydia asks. They've just arrived at the apartment and she's shrugging out of her jacket as Isaac tosses his keys onto the coffee table.

“CPS,” he answers. “Derek's trying to get custody of me.”

Lydia stops in the middle of taking her text book from her bookbag. “Really?”

“Yeah,” Isaac shrugs. “My dad was the only family I had left so now they wanna throw me in foster care. But Derek's my alpha so I really shouldn't be away from him, y'know?”

Lydia nods. This is one of her favourite things about spending time with Isaac. She doesn't have to pretend all the crazy stuff isn't real. It's doing wonders for her sanity. Especially since she doesn't really have anyone else that she can talk freely about it with.

Scott and Stiles have receded back into their own little world, for the most part. They've gone back to being wrapped up in each other and pretending that they're outcasts by social standing and not by choice.

Allison hasn't spoken to any of them in weeks.

So, yes. Isaac is a relief. Isaac is a distraction. Isaac is easy to be around.

And sometimes, when he finally wraps his brain around a concept that's been plaguing him, he'll look up at her with such an unabashed grin that she forgets for a moment that she's supposed to be missing Jackson.

XxXx

Things start to change after that. Isaac starts to hang out with Scott and Lydia finally gets tired of all the pretence and decides to join the two of them and Stiles for lunch everyday. 

It is simultaneously less awkward and more awkward than she had imagined it would be. Stiles seems to have given up on his infatuation with her and the two of them often carry on conversations about classes and their many werewolf-related woes. Stiles clearly does not like Isaac, however. The tension is obvious. 

It's in the way he side-eyes Isaac when he and Scott are locked in conversation. The way he only gives Lydia half his attention, spending the other half on shooting Isaac pointed glares whenever he opens his mouth. Lydia remembers a time when Stiles would have died to have all her attention focused on him. She really can't believe just how much can change in a year.

“Why do you hate him so much?” Lydia asks him one day. They're already sitting at their usual table, Isaac and Scott still standing in the lunch line.

“What?” Stiles looks over at her from where he'd been glaring in Isaac's general direction.

“Isaac,” she says. “Why do you hate him?”

Stiles makes a face. “I don't hate him.”

“Okay,” Lydia sighs. “But you certainly don't like him.”

Stiles shrugs. “Well, why do you like him so much?”

Lydia does not blush, but it's a near thing. “I'm just helping him get his grades up.”

“Why bother?” Stiles grumbles.

“Because it's a distraction,” she tells him. “Something to keep my mind off of the horror movie that my life has become.”

“That's it?” he asks.

“That's it,” she replies. “I mean what do you think? That if I could stand to be around other people that I'd actually be hanging out with you three everyday?”

That's not true. Lydia knows it's not true. But apparently dropping the act is easier said than done.

Stiles huffs a humourless laugh. “Alright,” he says, clearly offended.

Stiles knows her better than this, she knows. There was a time when he would have seen right through her. A time when he would have called her on it. But it's like he's given up on her altogether.

She deserves that, she supposes.

XxXx

Lydia loves her older sister. She just hates it when she comes home from school. But it's their grandmother's 80th birthday on Sunday, so Sadie is in town for the weekend.

Currently, Lydia is sitting in her room listening to Sadie and their mother have it out in the dining room. She's not even sure what they're fighting about anymore. She never is. Sadie and Mom don't see eye to eye on anything; they never have.

Lydia had thought that when Sadie went away to school she would get some perspective and that when she came home she'd be different. She was wrong. If anything, her sister is worse. Arrogant now that she thinks she has some real world experience.

(For the record, Lydia doesn't consider living in an apartment being paid for by their father, getting sent grocery money every week 'real world experience'.)

She finally closes her laptop, not able to focus on anything. She needs to get out of here.

She pulls on a pair of boots and a jacket before leaving her room and making her way downstairs. She's hoping to sneak by unnoticed but as soon as her foot hits the last step Sadie is on her.

“Lydia, tell Mom she's being ridiculous,” her sisters says.

“I don't even—,” Lydia begins but gets cut off.

“Leave your sister out of this,” her mother rages. “She's been through enough without you loading your problems on her. Her boyfriend just died!”

Lydia cringes. “He wasn't my boyfriend, Mom. He dumped me. I told you.” Her mother never listens to her anymore.

It doesn't matter. She gets ignored as they go back to screaming at each other. At least it lets her slip out.

Once she's outside she heads for the school. She's not sure why.

She fishes her phone out of her pocket as she walks and scrolls through her contacts. She fires a text off to Isaac without even thinking about it.

_Can you come meet me at the school?_

It takes a few minutes for him to answer.

_Why?_

She sighs as she stares at the text. She doesn't really know why.

 _Don't want to be at home_ , she types. _Don't want to be alone._

It takes even longer for him to answer this time. She makes it all the way to the school and has been sitting on one of the cold, concrete steps outside for nearly five minutes before her phone buzzes again.

_Fine._

XxXx

Ten minutes later the Camaro rolls to a stop in front of her. She's surprised. She hadn't expected Derek to come get her. But when the window slides down it's to reveal Isaac in the driver's seat.

“Please tell me you didn't steal Derek's car,” she says flatly.

Isaac rolls his eyes. “I like my head firmly attached to my neck, thanks,” he replies. “Are you coming or what?”

Lydia pushes herself to her feet and flattens down the back of her skirt before making her way to the car. She slides into the seat next to him and he starts driving as soon as the door shuts behind her.

“So, what's going on?” he asks.

She sighs. “My sister's home from school,” she tells him. When he just looks at her out of the corner of his eye she goes on. “My mom and my sister don't get along. At all. They practically hate each other. And whenever Sadie's home it's just constant screaming. They try to get me in the middle of it, too. Take sides. But I never even know what they're arguing about. They've always been like that, though. Before me it was my dad. I wouldn't be surprised if that's why they got divorced.”

She takes a look at Isaac. He's staring out the windshield, his face impassive.

Lydia shakes her head and runs a hand over her face. “I'm sorry,” she says. “You're probably the last person I should be complaining to about my family.”

Isaac shrugs a shoulder but doesn't say anything.

“Especially since you're mad at me, too,” she murmurs.

Finally, Isaac sighs. “Why did you text me?”

She hadn't been expecting that. 

“I didn't know who else to ask,” she says but it isn't true. She could've called her dad. Or Danny. Or any number of people, really. But she hadn't even hesitated. She didn't want to be alone and her first instinct was Isaac.

Isaac nods his head and goes back to silence.

“Okay, what did I do?” she finally asks, not able to stand it anymore. “Why are you mad at me?”

“What do you care?” he replies. “It's not like we're friends.”

Lydia's head snaps up to look at him. “What do you mean we're not friends?”

“Your words,” he says. “Not mine.”

“What?” she replies. “I never said that.”

Isaac hands grip the steering wheel tighter now, his knuckles going white as he takes a deep breath through his nose. For the first time since she started spending time with Isaac, Lydia is suddenly very aware that he is something other than human.

He pulls the car over and takes another few breaths. “You did say it.”

“When?”

“Today at lunch,” he answers. “In the cafeteria.”

She bites her lip. “What did Stiles tell you?”

“He didn't tell me anything,” Isaac says to his lap. “I could hear you, Lydia.”

“I didn--”

“You called me a distraction!” he yells, finally turning to face her. “Said that's all I was to you. So you know what? Fine. That's fine. I'm your distraction. You're my ticket to a better grade. That's it. Not friends. Just... mutually beneficial.”

He's not looking at her anymore, back to staring at his lap.

“Isaac... no,” she shakes her head and turns to look out the window. When she looks back Isaac has turned his head to her, his brows furrowed in confusion. “Of course you're my friend. Scott and Stiles, too. It's just... I'm terrible at this.”

“At what?” he asks.

“Having friends,” she answers. “Real ones. Ones that aren't just there because it's convenient or because it's cool.”

“Then why did you say it?” 

Lydia shrugs. “Because it's easier. It's easier to lie about how you feel than to try and explain why you feel it.”

Isaac nods his head like he understands and Lydia wonders if he does.

“I'm sorry,” she says. “For saying the things I did. I didn't mean them.”

Isaac nods again. “I know.”

“Forgive me?”

Isaac looks at her then and smiles, just a little bit. “Yeah.”

Lydia smiles back at him.

They spend another hour, driving around aimlessly, making fun of Derek's presets, before Isaac takes her home. The lights are all off when they pull up. Her mom will be in bed by now. Sadie probably went out. Or to their dad's. She's always been a daddy's girl.

She reaches for the handle, but pauses when a thought occurs to her.

“Why did you come get me?” she asks, turning to look at him.

“What do you mean?” he questions.

“You were mad at me,” she clarifies. “You didn't think we were friends. So why did you come get me?”

“Oh,” Isaac says and he shrugs. “I just know what it's like. Not wanting to be at home. And I know how much it sucks to not have anywhere else to go.”

He's looking at her sheepishly and she smiles sadly, reaching over to grab his hand. She squeezes it and says, “Thanks.”

He smiles at her again. “I'll see you on Monday, Lydia.”

She nods and gets out of the car. Isaac doesn't drive away until she's safely inside.

XxXx

It's nearly three weeks later that Lydia is standing in the hallway before class with with Stiles and Scott when Isaac comes bounding up to them, a smile on his face like none Lydia has ever seen. She finally understands what people mean when they say they have butterflies in their stomach.

“Well, you're happy about something,” Lydia says.

His grins grows impossibly wider. “It worked!”

“What worked?” Scott asks.

“Derek is officially my legal guardian!” Isaac supplies.

“That's great,” Lydia replies. She knows this has been one of the main causes of Isaac's stress lately.

“Yeah, that's awesome, man,” Scott agrees. Lydia knows he still doesn't like Derek. She doesn't exactly blame him. Derek certainly has his share of rough edges, but in the weeks she's been spending with Isaac she thinks she's gotten to know him a bit. He's actually more personable than she'd realized. And he loves Isaac like a brother. That much is obvious.

Even Stiles offers him a smile, and there's something knowing about it, Lydia thinks.

The bell rings then and they all move towards their classes. A hand grabs Lydia before she can get too far, though, and spins her around into a hug. She wraps her arms around Isaac's waist in return and the butterflies are back now.

“What was that for?” she asks when he pulls away.

Isaac rubs the back of his neck and stares at the floor. “It's just, I know me getting better grades probably helped with all this stuff. And I owe that to you.”

“You don't owe me anything,” she says.

“Yeah, well,” he replies and Lydia knows he doesn't believe her. “We should probably get to class.”

She nods and they both set off in opposite directions. It only takes Lydia two steps to stop and turn around, though.

“Hey, Isaac,” she calls and he turns. “I'm glad you're not being sent away.”

He flashes her that earth-shattering smile one more time. “Me too.”

XxXx

Two days later they get back a chemistry test they'd taken the week before. Chemistry is Isaac's worst subject and he really needs a passing grade on this test. Lydia watches him anxiously from across the room when Mr Harris hands him his paper. She can't see his mark from her seat, but the way he gapes at it gives her a bad feeling.

And he'd been in such a good mood these past few days.

The bell rings then and the room is a flurry as her classmates shuffle out. Isaac doesn't move, though. Not even when she stops in front of his desk.

“So?” she asks tentatively, looking at his face. “What's the verdict?”

He looks up at her with something akin to awe before holding his test up for her to see.

A-

Her jaw drops for a second but she quickly turns it into a grin. “Isaac!” she cries. “That's amazing!”

Finally he smiles but before he can say anything Scott is leaning through the classroom door.

“Isaac, c'mon, dude,” he says and bangs a hand on the wall. “Coach's gonna have your head if you're late for practice.”

XxXx

As she always does, Lydia sits on the bleachers while Isaac practices. He's actually really good. She knows that much from Jackson's lacrosse videos.

Usually she'd have her notebook open in her lap, deciding what she and Isaac are going to focus on today when they get back to the apartment. Right now, though, she can't take her eyes off the field. 

Isaac looks like he's having the time of his life. She can hear him laughing from here as he scores goal after goal. Danny is getting increasingly frustrated, if his shouts are anything to go by. But Isaac is running around the field, getting high fives and pats on the back from his teammates. Even Coach Finstock is shouting encouragements. And when they end practice with a scrimmage, Isaac leading his side to victory, he even does a victory dance. Lydia laughs and claps along with the team.

After Coach gives them their end-of-practice pep talk, Isaac bounds over to her, helmet in hand and that heart-stopping smile firmly in place.

“Ready to go?” he asks.

Lydia looks down at her empty lap. “Uh, yeah. Y'know, I was thinking. In light of your recent chemistry triumph, what if we took the day off?”

“Yeah?” he says.

“Yeah,” she replies. “You've earned it.”

Here his smile falters, just a bit. “You're still coming over, though, right?”

She smiles back. “Of course.”

XxXx

An hour later Lydia is sitting on the couch next to Isaac laughing with him at all the ridiculous stories that are crossing Maury Povich's stage. It's a guilty pleasure. Only Isaac knows.

Suddenly he leans down to peck a kiss on her cheek. She turns to him, her mouth open in surprise.

Isaac actually gulps. “That was... um... just thanks. For everything.”

Lydia gives an exasperated sigh and rolls her eyes. “Isaac,” she says. “Do I have to teach you everything? If you're going to kiss a girl, do it right.”

When she pulls him in and presses their lips together, though, she finds that maybe this is one area he doesn't need to work on. 

But that won't stop them from practicing, she decides.

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you guys enjoyed. It might be a while before I get to do part 3 as I'm at the beginning of my exam period and I have studying and crap to do. But then I've got three weeks of freedom so I can update then.
> 
> As always, feel free to tumblr me >> carryonmywaywardtardis.tumblr.com


End file.
